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1811 Land Deed

This is a scan from the original document. The document is in medium to poor condition. There are tears along 2 of the folding seams. It was scanned in one shot. Although the bottom didn’t fit into the scanner, and the written parts made it into the image. Wax seal is evident, but missing due to the age of the document and it’s condition.

This deed documents the transfer of ownership of a parcel of land located in Salisbury, Litchfield County, Connecticut from Newman Holley to Milton McIntosh. The total amount of land, I believe, is 3/4 of an acre. It is difficult for me to translate the writing. The purchase price is $150.

The land measurements used were Rods (16.5 Feet) and Links (7.92 inches). Due to the way they documented the location of the parcel (From this heap of stones, to that pile of rocks…), there isn’t any way to truely find it or photograph it. Litchfield County is a long way from where we are located, so the chances of us getting to Salisbury’s Town/City Hall are slim.

Dates Listed on the deed:

January 11, 1811

Names listed on the deed:

Newman Holley – Salisbury, Connecticut. Signature present. Born April 17, 1785, Salisbury, Connecticut (Source). Married Sally Stiles November 17, 1805 (Source). His parents were Luther Holley and Sarah Dakin, and he had 5 brothers and 1 sister (Source). This information is not definitative. It is based on geneologies published on the internet, and seems to fit the dates on the deed.

Milton McIntosh – Salisbury, Connecticut. No notable history.

Elisha Sterling – Justice of the Peace. Signature present. There was a General Elisha Sterling living in Salisbury at the time in which this deed was drawn up, which may be the same Elisha Sterling mentioned on the deed. Various sources claim the General Elisha Sterling built the Sterling House in 1795 (Source 1, Source 2), but according to Wikipedia, the Sterling Home was built in 1886 by John William Sterling (Source). Sterling Homestead has it’s own webpage, and you can look at it’s published history. These sources seem to conflict, so I invite you to make your own opinions. My opinion is that Gen. Elisha Sterling built Sterling House, and “…Cordelia Sterling, the daughter of Captain John Sterling, donated the gift of the Sterling Homestead, House and Park, in memory of her father, to the people of Stratford and the surrounding area…” (Source).

WML.(?) Sterling – Signature present. No researchable history with those initials.

If anyone has any information about anyone or anything mentioned in this deed, please contact me at ctexplorers@gmail.com. You will be credited for your information. A higher resolution image of this document is available upon request.

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